Two American artists concretise their Austrian identity: Jane Mechner and Michael Garner

The Austrian Cultural Forum London presents Real Citizens, a new exhibition with works by Jane Mechner and Michael Garner, curated by Rodrigo Chaveiro. The exhibition explores what it means to become a citizen of a country that is both new and ancestral.

Jane Mechner and Michael Garner, both graduates of the Royal College of Art, recently obtained Austrian citizenship based on their family history. In 2019 Austria introduced a new and simplified path to Austrian citizenship for direct descendants (children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren) of people persecuted by the Nazi regime for political, racial, or religious reasons.

In Real Citizens, they move beyond the legal paperwork to explore the personal side of this change.

The exhibition presents a series of works that attempt to "concretise", or give physical shape to, the exploration of identity. Citizenship is often treated as just a legal status. With this exhibition, Jane and Michael are trying to make that status physical. They are using their art to bridge the gap between their history and their present reality. In a time of global debate about borders and belonging, Real Citizens offers a look at the experience of coming home.

Michael Garner had a varied experience before becoming an artist. He worked in journalism, data science, computational lexicography, project management, graphic design, political analysis, and teaching - with NASA, Meta, Amnesty International, Department of State, and one of the oldest independently-owned newspapers in the U.S. He also founded a nonprofit animal rescue organization. These experiences have broadened his view of the human condition and gave him a unique perspective on which to base his artistic practice, which involves science, empathy, cross-cultural communication, and provocation.

Garner is a graduate of the Royal College of Art, where he was offered the RCA President and Vice-Chancellor’s International Scholarship. Recent shows include Past Lives, Present Futures at The Bomb Factory, an exhibition of RCA alumni at White Conduit Projects, and at GAIA Gallery in New York. He has also performed in New York, London, and Berlin. Garner published a book in 2024 and has written for FAD Magazine. He lives in London and speaks Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, French, and some Russian.

Jane Mechner is an Austrian-American artist based in London. Her work explores the rise of extremism in her home countries, investigating cultural dissonance and resisting simplified narratives of identity. The body of work presented with the ACF London is a reflection on Mechner’s newfound connection to Vienna. Mechner focuses on Prater Wien, using structure as a reflection for cultural environment, tradition and upbringing. With emphasis placed on feelings of belonging and impostering. Mechner is a 2025 graduate from the Royal College of Art painting Masters program. Recent shows include Soho Revue’s inaugural Echo Soho fair with Gillian Jason Gallery, Exhibition by Art Embassy Network with Artsticker in Tokyo, Let the Dust Settle with Terrace Gallery and Private View 001 publication release at Shreeji Newsstand. Mechner has shown in Los Angeles, Vienna and London.

Exhibition private view: Thursday 5 March, 6.30 - 8.30pm
The exhibition continues until Friday 17 April 2026